Behavioral risk factors for overweight or obesity in adolescents

Abstract

Obesity is a complex and multifactorial disease that is defined by excessive fatty tissue accumulation and is increasingly common in the world. The prevalence of overweight children and adolescents has tripled in the last three decades, and there has been a gradual increase in obesity in the last 10 years. One in 5 adolescents in United States are overweight. The prevalence is 10.7-64% in adolescents in different countries. The relationship between childhood and adult obesity signifies the importance of overweight and obesity in adolescent period. Complications of obesity in young people have been shown very well in recent studies, and the main topics of these are metabolic problems, chronic diseases, psychosocial problems and increased cardiovascular disease in adulthood. The obese adolescent individuals also have psychosocial problems such as self-dislike, decreased self-esteem, increased level of loneliness, sadness, nervousness, tendency to smoke and alcohol. It was suggested that obesity is not only affected by the knowledge of nutrition, 50% of children also have obesity genes. Other factors such as such as demographics, health behaviors (such as dietary habits, physical activity and inactivity), environmental factors may contribute in the prevalence of overweight. Dietary habits also depend on attitude of the family. The topics such as eating speed, the amount of the food, number of meals per day and type of the meal are all related to obesity. Psychological factors play an important role in adolescent eating habits. Because of this, the determination of the behavioral risk factors in the formation of adolescent obesity will be effective for organizing the prevention and the treatment methods. © 2021 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.